| Scientific name: | Solanum lycopersicum |
| German name: | Tomate |
| Other names: | Domade |
| Classification: | Solanales |
| Family: | Solanaceae |
| Genus: | Solanum |
| Season: | March - November |
The tomato has a long and confused history. Although in Europe it is mainly associated with Italy, it comes from Peru and, unlike most people, it is not always red, but golden yellow. Only by breeding the tomato attained its red color and is bred nowadays again in some colors and even patterns (e.g. black-green striped). Hardly any other vegetable is as varied as the tomato: Date tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, the giant meat tomato are just a few varieties that are now being cultivated in a more varied way after they have been bred too uniformly since the 1990s and have had to lose a great deal of their aromatic taste. Especially "old" varieties are regarded as promising for the future and particularly tasty.
Quantity per 100 grams
| Calories | 21 |
| Fat content | 0,3 g |
| Saturated fatty acids | 0,1 g |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids | 0,1 g |
| Monounsaturated fatty acids | 0,1 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 220 mg |
| Potassium | 1,6 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 3,2 g |
| Roughage | 0,1 g |
| Sugar | 3,1 g |
| Protein | 0,8 g |
The tomato grew already more than 2000 years ago at the coasts of Peru and looked at that time still much smaller and above all yellow. In ancient Mexico it was called "Tomatle", which can be roughly translated as "erectile tissue". When Christopher Columbus brought the tomato back from his second trip to America in 1498 as a supposed ornamental, Europeans were initially extremely skeptical. Out of ignorance it was thought that the tomato was poisonous, which was only the case with original, unripe tomatoes.
The first cultivation trials were carried out in Italy in 1554, but only in 1820 were they used as real vegetables. Due to its then still yellow colour, the tomato was called "Pomo d'oro" (Golden Apple) in Italy. This name has survived to this day. In Germany, the systematic cultivation of tomatoes did not begin until 1890, but until the First World War it was still mistakenly thought to be poisonous and was therefore almost never used in the kitchen. When studies from 1920 onwards showed that tomatoes were extremely healthy, they quickly moved to the top of European vegetable consumption and have been at the forefront ever since.
The main tomato growing areas are in Bulgaria, France, Greece, Israel, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the USA.
Tomatoes have a laxative, appetite-stimulating, cholesterol-lowering, dehydrating effect and protect the heart and circulation. In addition, they have the ability to neutralize carcinogenic nitrosamines and are therefore scientifically proven as most effective cancer killer among vegetables. In addition, they possess the remarkable properties to protect against premature physical and mental aging processes
Unripe tomatoes were considered toxic for a long time due to their solanine content. In modern cultivation, however, this substance has been reduced to a minimum. To really want to poison yourself, you would have to consume at least 2.5 kg of unripe tomatoes these days.
In the small Spanish village Bunol (east of Valencia) the crazy festival "La Tomatina" takes place every year since 1944 on the last Wednesday in August. At this largest and craziest tomato festival in the world, the 30,000 visitors throw themselves for about 2 hours with a total of 120 tons of (mostly) fresh tomatoes. The whole city turns red and the juice of the tomatoes flows through the street
Tomato ketchup consists of tomatoes, spices and vinegar. The name "Ketchup" goes back to the American inventor of the sauce, Mr. Noah Ketchup. Around 1700, he and his wife launched this new mixture on the market. Unfortunately, the sauce, which is so popular today, was not very successful at that time, so that it did not bring much prosperity to the ketchup couple. But at least her name remains the same until today.
Tomatoes are processed and prepared in every conceivable way. Whether for sauces, salads, soups, vegetables or tomato paste: tomatoes have found their way into every kitchen in the world. It is very easy to use because it only needs to be grown and cut into eighths. Blanching, on the other hand, is more difficult: the skin of the tomato must be slightly cut on four sides and then placed in boiling water for 20 seconds (no longer!). The skin is now very easy to peel off.
Since the skin contains the most nutrients and vitamins, as with most vegetables and fruits, it should usually be eaten with the tomato.
Tomatoes should always be kept cool, but not too cold, as irreparable cold damage can occur at temperatures below 8 degrees Celsius. The flesh becomes glassy and they lose their aroma. This is often the case with imported tomatoes as they are transported too cool.
Tomatoes should never be stored together with cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, peppers, potatoes or courgettes as they secrete ethylene and accelerate the decay of these vegetables. Damaged or lost tomatoes should be removed from the others immediately, as the risk of infection and mould leaking in tomatoes is extremely high.